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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cue — for pool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — shares
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stock — goods
  18. content — happy
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com